A Sherlolly Christmas Baby
by GoodShipSherlollipop
Summary: Molly is disappointed when the much anticipated Baby Girl Holmes number two declines to make an appearance on or before her due date. Will the baby arrive in time for Christmas or will Molly have to deal with those swollen feet and aching back for even longer? (Part of my Journey series - timeline displayed on my profile.) Parentlock x2.
1. Due and Overdue

**Author's note:** At last, here's the story my regular readers have been waiting for! I hope to see a few non-regular readers giving this story a chance as well.

Thanks to my lovely reader **Elizabeth Robello** for yet another awesome cover image showing a heavily pregnant Molly, Sherlock, and their daughter, Victoria. This scene will be shown in chapter two.

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**December 21, 2019**

Molly looked morosely at the calendar on the back of the utility room door, the one on which she and Sherlock had been marking off each day with an X since he had purchased it earlier in the year to indicate the passage of time until the impending birth of Baby Holmes number two.

She had started maternity leave two weeks ago, hoping that this baby would arrive early. Who wanted to have a baby so close to Christmas, really?

Wrapped Christmas presents were already under the tree in the front room for Victoria and the new baby.

Molly was ready, Sherlock was ready. The Holmes parents were ready. Victoria too was excited at the prospect of "baby" even if she didn't quite grasp the concept of what it would be like to have a baby sister. But apparently the baby herself was not ready. No, little girl Holmes was quite cosy in her mother's womb and apparently in no hurry to exit into the cold world, even if it would mean her mother would have her constant back pain eased as well as the swelling of her ankles and feet.

The swelling was not as bad as it had been with Victoria, possibly because the weather had been warmer when Victoria had been due, but still, Molly did not particularly enjoy going everywhere in soft slippers that would not cut into the tops of her swollen feet. Sherlock insisted it was fine, nobody was looking at her feet, but Molly still felt terribly self-conscious.

Today was supposed to be the day. Sherlock had written in the square for this date - _New Baby Holmes?_ It was the evening of Molly's due date.

Sherlock, who had just put Victoria to bed, walked to stand beside Molly with a pen in his hand. "Nothing yet, love?" His tone was hopeful and he was looking at the calendar and its words, as if they could magically help Molly to go into labour.

She turned her head to him and sighed. "Not even a twinge." There had been a couple of false alarms already. Braxton Hicks contractions had become a rather common occurrence but they were irregular and didn't last for more than half an hour. The first time it had happened almost a month earlier, Sherlock had been convinced Molly was in premature labour when she winced at the slight contraction she experienced as they were eating dinner. In a panic, he had been set to take her immediately to the hospital but Molly had refused and reminded him that she had experienced Braxton Hicks contractions with Victoria and they had always gone away quickly. That had turned out to be the case each time the twinges had happened.

At her 40 week check-up the previous day, their midwife Laura had confirmed that the baby's head was definitely engaged in Molly's pelvis, she was almost 3cm dilated and 90% effaced. Labour could happen at any time. But there was no sign of contractions now, Braxton Hicks or otherwise. It was rather frustrating.

Sherlock reached out with the pen and put an X through the date, and Molly blinked back tears. She was feeling emotional and irritable and just wanted the baby out already. She wanted to meet the daughter she had been carrying for nine months.

"Come on, love." Sherlock took her hand. "Let's go to the sitting room and I'll give you a nice massage to make you feel better, maybe rub your feet a little too?"

She gave him a tremulous smile. He had been so sensitive to her needs lately, just as he had been when she had been in the last stages of pregnancy with Victoria. He had even had John put a note on his blog that they were not currently accepting cases until after the New Year.

Molly lowered herself to the sofa as Sherlock turned on the Christmas tree lights and then put on some Christmas music. At the front of the tree four baubles were prominently displayed, the ones Molly had purchased for her first Christmas with Sherlock after their marriage. The two bigger baubles had hers and Sherlock's names. The smaller ones were named Victoria and Christina. Molly had wanted to already have Christina's name on the bauble. She might not have emerged yet, but Molly felt her presence constantly with little movements. When Sherlock had laughingly pointed out that scans were not always 100% accurate on the baby's gender, Molly had shrugged it off. There were still four smaller baubles. If for some inexplicable reason Baby Gil Holmes turned out to be Baby Boy Holmes, they could just write on another one. They had even picked out a boy's name before the scan where the technician had stated they were having a girl - Christian Josiah. So an unexpected boy would still have a name.

Sherlock sat beside Molly and she angled herself awkwardly so he could have access to her back. She breathed a sigh of relief as he began to massage her shoulders then slowly worked his way down her back, thumbs pressing to either side of her spine and to the place where she felt the constant ache from the press of the baby. Soft little sighs of pleasure escaped her lips as he soothed away the pain at least temporarily.

After about fifteen minutes, Sherlock rose from the sofa and knelt in front of Molly, taking up one foot and rubbing it gently, then the other. Her lips quirked at the sight and she remembered the play they had performed in September, one scene of which had been Jesus, played by Sherlock, washing his disciples' feet. She had been so happy with the success of that play. More than a thousand pounds in donations for cancer research had been raised as a result.

Molly heard Sherlock's text alert sound but he didn't bother glancing at it until he had finished rubbing Molly's feet and had returned to sitting next to her. "It's probably just Mummy," he had said when they heard the ding.

Sherlock looked at the text. "Yep. Mummy was just asking how things are going. Silly really. It ism't like we wouldn't tell her if you went into labour." He quickly tapped in a response and sent it off.

Sherlock's parents had come to London the previous week in anticipation of the birth of the newest Holmes family member. They were staying with Mycroft as usual. Surprisingly, he had been quite agreeable about it, understanding their wish to be close by to meet their granddaughter. They had visited twice as well and Victoria, as always, was delighted to see her grandparents. The Holmes parents had last come to London in September to see the play and they had been astonished at how much Victoria had grown and how much her vocabulary had improved even in the space of three months.

"I must admit, I'm getting tired of hearing all the comments about how I look like I'm ready to pop, and questions about my due date. I'm starting to think that Greg and Lori's baby will be here before ours."

Sherlock stroked her hair and kissed her temple. "Remember what you always say to me - 'God's timing is not ours.'" Then he placed his hand on her distended belly and rubbed gently. "Sooner or later, Christina will arrive and our lives will change again as we adjust. In the meantime, we will continue to devote ourselves to our other daughter and one another."

"I know you're right and I shouldn't complain. I just can't help feeling like I've been pregnant forever and that our lives are in a holding pattern right now."

"Let me make you a cup of spearmint tea and then we can cuddle on the sofa and watch television until it's time for bed, unless Victoria decides to wake up."

"That sounds good." She looked at Sherlock. "It's funny, she has been sleeping through the night pretty regularly lately but soon we will have to get used to sleep deprivation again - or at least I'll have to."

"You know I'll do my part if you are able to express enough breast milk for middle-of-the-night feedings."

Molly yawned and nudged him. "I know you will. I have to say, I'm pretty tired and I might fall asleep on you soon after I drink the tea."

Sherlock gave her a sly look. "Perhaps we should forgo the tea and television and go to bed now. I'd be willing to attempt to jumpstart your labour."

Molly rolled her eyes. "That didn't help last time, if you recall." At Sherlock's rather disappointed expression, she added, "But I'm not saying we can't try. Maybe the tea will give me enough energy to stay awake and be an active participant in your efforts."

She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as Sherlock immediately exited the room to comply. It really was odd how he was not at all fazed by her pregnant belly, but then, he hadn't been with Victoria either. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the addition of caressing and kissing her belly as part of their regular routine in the precursor to making love. Of course, he also knew that sex would be off the table for weeks after the birth as it had been with Victoria, so perhaps that had something to do with him not wishing to put a halt to their intimate activity. Really, she didn't mind. It was a little more awkward, especially at this point, but still extremely enjoyable.

Sherlock soon returned with her spearmint tea and a cup of coffee for himself. Usually he stuck to tea at night due to the higher caffeine level in coffee so she gave him a questioning look which he correctly interpreted.

"Even if you are ready to fall asleep on me, I don't wish to do the same to you later." He gave her a suggestive wink and she giggled.

"You're just lucky that all the research you did on whether it was safe to make love all the way through pregnancy gave a firm yes to it as long as no doctor said otherwise."

Sherlock smirked. "Yes, I'll admit that was a relief to know there is no risk to the baby or yourself." Then he sobered. "Of course, I would never pressure you into it either. Your needs and comfort level are as important as mine."

Molly took a sip of her tea before responding. "Well, physically things may not be as easy for me, but that doesn't mean I don't want to try anything that might get my labour going." She and Sherlock had actively tried to induce labour by making love each night before victoria was born, once she had passed her due date, even though research suggested that the act would only potentially help to induce labour if her body was ready for it anyway. Even so, Victoria had been nine days late and Molly was certainly hoping this baby would not keep her waiting that long to make an appearance.

At least Sherlock's parents had decided Christmas this year would have to be in London, which was a great relief. Mycroft had reluctantly volunteered to have the Christmas celebration at his house where they would be joined by Elizabeth's son, Michael, and his wife of a few months, Michelle. Mycroft's son Mark, who had graduated with his international politics degree in July and was now working in a junior position in Mycroft's department, (a little bit of nepotism there), was now also living in London and was to be at the Christmas gathering as well. Even Ruth Hooper had been invited and Molly was looking forward to spending Christmas with her mother for the first time in many years. But what if the baby decides she wants to arrive on Christmas Day? Molly worried, chewing on her lower lip. That would really mess up all the Christmas plans.

Molly's reverie was interrupted by Sherlock tapping her nose gently. "Are you concerned about this baby arriving at an inopportune time?" he asked, accurately deducing her suddenly pensive mood.

"A little. I was really hoping Christina," here, she rubbed her belly with the hand that was not holding her tea cup, "would arrive on time or early, but it seems like she has other plans."

Sherlock shrugged. "It is what it is, love. I've already spoken to Mycroft, and if the unthinkable happens and you deliver on Christmas, we will just skip the dinner and exchange gifts later. Mummy and Daddy are quite prepared to remain in London until after the baby comes. Even if Mycroft grumbles about it, he won't turn them out. Your mother already told us she has no other plans around Christmas so if there is a delay it won't be an imposition for her either." His words were reassuring and Molly felt a little better.

She nodded and continued to sip her tea as Sherlock tuned the television to a channel that was playing a random Christmas themed film. He finished his own cup of coffee as they watched.

After the film ended, they sat for awhile, watching the lights on the Christmas tree blink on and off, lost in their own thoughts. Molly's head was resting on Sherlock's shoulder and she was beginning to nod off when he nudged her.

"Let's go to bed, sweetheart."

Obediently, Molly removed her head from his shoulder and stood.

Sherlock stood as well and looked at her as she blinked at him sleepily. "Guess I should have gone upstairs with you earlier. So much for trying to induce your labour with a little lovemaking." He gave her a wry smile.

She put her hand to her mouth and smothered a yawn. "I'm sorry, Sherlock. We can still make love."

He shook his head and tucked her hand through his arm. "You need your sleep. There's always tomorrow."

He led her upstairs and helped her get undressed. Molly felt fatigue wash over her. He was right. There was always tomorrow, unless she went into labour of course.

She climbed into bed and Sherlock joined her, laying behind her with his hand resting protectively over her belly. His body cocooned her, warmed her, and she was asleep within moments.

The next two days passed with no sign of labour. Sherlock insisted that Molly stay off her feet as much as possible. He took care of Victoria and fed her, even, astonishingly, changed her dirty nappies as well as the wet ones. He prepared crumpets for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Those were easy enough. With his lack of skill in the kitchen though, Sherlock simply had pizza delivered the first night and there was enough leftover for the next evening. Their previous night's 'attempt' at trying to induce her labour naturally had been unsuccessful, much to Molly's disappointment, although the attempt itself was, as always, extremely delightful. For a short time she was distracted by Sherlock's expertise and thoroughness in his kisses and caresses.

Molly had not confessed her secret fear to Sherlock though. How would she deal with dividing her time between her children? Would it be a big adjustment to go from one child to two? Would she feel she was neglecting Victoria when the new baby would require so much of her attention?

She was sincerely glad she was not in the position of being a single mother. How difficult it must be for those women who didn't have a spouse to help in taking care of more than one child.

One other decision had been made between Sherlock and Molly as well, a few weeks before she left the hospital on maternity leave. For several months they had discussed what to do when her maternity leave was over. After some time spent in prayer, in a decision Sherlock had said was Molly's to make, she had decided she would no longer be able to work full-time at the hospital. Much as she loved her job, Molly wanted to be there for her children as much as possible, and working part-time once her three month maternity leave was over seemed like a good compromise. Sherlock had been very supportive with what she had decided, only remarking that he would miss their usual contact at the lab or mortuary when he was on a case, to which she had responded that he would get to see more of her at home instead. At least that had been some consolation.

With that in mind, in order to give Mike Stamford enough notice, she had told him of her decision. Her supervisor had been sad but understanding. Mike had already hired a new pathologist, one of his former students, knowing Molly would be going on maternity leave. Molly had observed the young man's work on several occasions and was pleased to see he was quite thorough and had a keen eye for detail. He treated the bodies on which he was performing a post-mortem with respect, cutting cleanly into then and restitching the skin afterwards, in complete contrast to the butcher-type efforts that had horrified her by some pathologists who did not seem to remember that, although deceased, these were real human beings, not animals. Those pathologists had definitely not lasted long at the hospital.

Molly herself had always tried to imagine she was working on a live patient, rather than a corpse, and had been complimented on many occasions about her skill with sutures. The nicest one she had received was when Mike had once remarked she had as much care and skill in her stitching as any surgeon he had ever seen. She had felt as if she was floating on air for the rest of that day. It felt so good to know her attention to detail was appreciated. It wasn't as if the corpses themselves could talk.

Jamie's work ethic was very similar and she felt he would be a good full-time replacement for her. Sherlock had already grumbled a couple times that it would not be the same, dealing with someone new when it came to inspecting murder victims whose post-mortems had been done by someone other than herself, but she had assured him that Jamie was almost as good at his job as she was.

After dinner on the 23rd, Molly said to Sherlock, who was getting Victoria out of her high chair while she put their dinner plates in the dishwasher, "I want to go to the Christmas Eve service at church tomorrow evening."

Sherlock gave her a doubtful look as he pulled a curl away from Victoria's hand. As usual, she had immediately grasped at it when he bent down to pick her up. "Is that wise? What if you go into labour?"

Molly closed the dishwasher and folded her arms, leaning over the countertop. Her back was aching unbearably. "If this baby had arrived on time or early, we would not have been able to go. But seeing as she is not here yet, I'd like to be at the service. I'm sure Victoria will enjoy all the music. Besides, John and Kayla will be there with Rosie and Adam too."

"Very well, you're the boss. At least we have our own car now and don't have to rely upon the availability of a taxi on Christmas Eve. I can drop you off in front of the church and find a parking space so you don't have to walk far."

Molly nodded and gave Sherlock a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, honey." She was glad he hadn't tried to argue further with her. She always loved the Christmas Eve service at church, singing all the lovely Christmas carols and especially Silent Night at the end.

By the time she and Sherlock went to bed that night, Molly was once again bone weary and aching. Sensing her fatigue, Sherlock merely kissed her goodnight and pulled her close to him as he had done two nights earlier. The baby within her stirred and settled again as she drifted off.

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**Author's note:** Well, well, are we going to have a Christmas baby, I wonder?

I hope you enjoy reading married Sherlolly as much as I enjoy writing it.

The references to Mark's graduation and the play about Jesus are there because I have an as-yet-unfinished story that I hope to publish sometime next year which has these elements as well as shows Sherlock and Molly moving to their new home. It is an immense undertaking with so many themes and I just hope I can get it finished and published to fill this huge block of time that has elapsed since the last story I published in this chronological timeline.

If you haven't read the birth story for Victoria and would like to, it is called _Waiting for the New Arrival_.

Are you excited to see what comes next?

Please note, for the past couple of weeks, the site has not been sending email notifications for pm's, including when I respond to reviews, so be sure to check your inbox. I don't know about you, but I find this extremely annoying because I like to just click on the reply button on the email notifications. I also always try to respond in a timely manner, and I often send a thank you to people who favourite and/or follow any story of mine.


	2. Christmas Eve

Evening on the 24th had arrived and it was time to go to church for the special Christmas Eve service, seeing as Baby Girl Holmes had still declined to make an appearance. Unhealthy though it might be, Sherlock had gone out to get dinner from McDonalds which was the closest fast-food restaurant. He had bought a Happy Meal and broken up pieces of the cheeseburger and fries for Victoria. Normally Molly would insist on the healthier alternatives, but Sherlock had apparently decided that as it was almost Christmas, his daughter could have the less-than-healthy options as a treat. Molly, whose appetite had been rather bigger than usual in the latter stages of her pregnancy, on this occasion was unable to eat more than half of her own hamburger and a few fries. Sherlock found it no chore to finish her leftovers as well as eat his own meal.

Molly rubbed her back which had been aching even more than usual all day as Sherlock peered through the small glass window on the front door.

"Are you absolutely certain you wish to go to the service? It's going to be cold. There are a few snowflakes falling too."

Molly took Victoria's little red coat from the rack and handed it to Sherlock so he could put it on their daughter and then grabbed her own red coat. She liked the way she and Victoria matched, even though she would be unable to button up the coat with her protruding abdomen. Her belly would just have to poke out and display her red knitted maternity dress. "We are going, Sherlock. The Watsons are expecting us."

Sherlock still looked dubious but obediently bent down to help Victoria on with her coat.

Molly then handed him a light grey hat and mittens for Victoria as she put on her own, which again were a good match for Victoria's. Molly wrapped a scarf around her neck. Victoria's little coat had a black ruffle so a scarf was not necessary for her.

Once Victoria was ready, Sherlock threw on his own coat and scarf and opened the door, saying, "Give me a couple minutes to get the car warm before you come out."

He grabbed the changing bag already waiting just beside the door and headed out. Molly closed the door behind him, thinking how thoughtful it was of him to always insist that he make sure the car was warm for them in the colder weather.

"Up, Mama," said Victoria, reaching her little arms upwards.

Just a minute lovey," Molly told her, looking out the front door to where Sherlock had just started the car, judging by the from the gases emanating from the exhaust pipe.

After waiting two minutes with an impatient Victoria who did not understand the delay, Molly put her small handbag over her shoulder and bent down awkwardly to hoist her daughter into her arms, which was no easy feat given the size of her abdomen.

She temporarily pulled off the one glove to open the front door and headed into the cold with Victoria, closing the door behind her. Tiny snowflakes dusted the path ahead of her, certainly nothing to worry about.

Before she reached the car, Sherlock had got out of the driver's side of their Volkswagen Golf and opened the passenger door for her, then took Victoria from her.

Molly sank gratefully into her seat while Sherlock settled Victoria into her car seat. She had to admit, it was worth paying extra for the mid-price model just to have those heated front seats which immediately warmed her bum. It was fortunate that Victoria no longer needed the rear-facing baby seat, having passed the 15 month mandatory requirement, and she now sat behind Sherlock's seat. She seemed to enjoy facing forward and Molly liked that she could turn around and look at her daughter at any time.

It struck Molly again that very soon they would be transporting their new baby in the car as well. Even if she ended up being two weeks overdue, the clock was ticking and it wouldn't be much longer.

They were already underway when Molly noticed Sherlock's hands on the wheel. "You forgot your gloves,",she commented.

He glanced at her, then back at the road. "Guess you will have to warm me up." He removed his left hand from the wheel and extended it towards her. She gripped it lightly. They often drove with their hands linked. She still loved Sherlock's primary reasoning behind buying an automatic rather than manual transmission car. He had told her he didn't want to have to remove his hand from hers all the time in order to change gears.

They arrived at church about ten minutes before the service was due to start and Sherlock pulled up temporarily in front to let Molly out. "If you just take the changing bag, I'll carry Victoria in with me."

Molly nodded. It was definitely easier to not have to carry Victoria right now. She got out of the car, retrieved the changing bag and headed into the warmth of the church. Not wanting to go to a pew without Sherlock and their daughter though, she dropped her handbag and changing bag in the foyer and waited for them to come up the steps then walked back outside.

Victoria was smiling and had her hand out trying to capture snowflakes. "Pwetty."

Molly grinned. Victoria had a little lisp just as Rosie did and she thought it was adorable. "The snow is pretty, isn't it? Come on, let's go inside and get to our pew."

Molly expected John and Kayla to be in their usual pew, spread out to leave room for them, and she was correct in that assumption.

The Watsons smiled as Sherlock arrived at the pew with Victoria and they moved to make room for the Holmeses. Sherlock stood aside for Molly to enter first and put the changing bag and her handbag beneath the pew in front of them after which he sat on the end with Victoria on his lap. He preferred the end of the pew and that way the women could sit together.

Molly could see Adam was asleep in his car seat between John and Kayla while Rosie was on John's lap.

"I was half expecting to get a call earlier in the day from Sherlock saying you wouldn't be here because you were in labour. Still nothing, huh?" murmured Kayla.

Molly shook her head. "Nope, but my lower back has been hurting a lot today. I'm kind of hoping the baby will stay in there until after Christmas at this point otherwise it will disrupt our family celebration," she whispered back.

Kayla smiled at her. "I know what you mean, but I guess she will arrive at the appointed time God has for her."

The service began with the lighting of the advent candles followed by the Christ candle in the centre. Molly always loved how each week in Advent an extra candle was lit, leading up to this wonderful evening as they celebrated the birth of Jesus.

She looked at the order of service. Several hymns were to be sung, there was some special solo music as well and some scripture verses followed by brief meditations in between the music by Pastor Briggs.

Molly went to stand for the first hymn which was _Oh Come, All Ye Faithful,_ But Sherlock restrained her with a hand to her shoulder. "Don't try to get up, Molly. Seeing as you insisted on being here, at least indulge me in that."

Molly knew he was right and nodded her assent. Getting up and down was rather an effort so she complied with her husband's wishes. Molly tried to sing as she usually did and found she was a little short of breath. The baby was pressing on her diaphragm and the seated position did not help, so she decided to just enjoy listening to the rest of the congregation sing. She always loved the sound of Sherlock's singing voice anyway. For someone who had not liked Christmas for so many years, he had certainly embraced it these days and he was not backward in singing out when he was familiar with Christmas carols. Molly smiled as Victoria too tried to tune her voice to some of the music in the song, echoing a word here and there sung by her father in her high-pitched little girl voice, particularly the "Christ the Lord" words at the end of the chorus. Of course, Victoria's way of singing was more like "Chwist da Lawd."

They were about halfway through the church service and people had stood to sing _Joy to the World _when Molly felt a tightening sensation in her abdomen. It was uncomfortable, but not unduly so. _Probably Braxton Hicks again,_ she concluded at first but changed her mind when that tightening sensation occurred again minutes later and for a third time, keeping the timing consistent, unlike the sporadic Braxton Hicks contractions. She tried to ignore it, not wanting to have Sherlock get all in a tizzy about it and order them to leave immediately. Molly was not about to disrupt the lovely service that way and besides, her water had not broken so she knew the baby wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

Fortunately, Victoria was squirming around on Sherlock's lap and he was having a little difficulty in getting her to sit quietly, reaching into the changing bag for various toys to keep her occupied.

Kayla too was not looking at Molly. Adam had awoken and she was feeding him discreetly, looking down at him.

When the tightening sensation occurred again for a fourth time, Molly remembered to take slow, deep breaths and count to herself. Forty seconds passed before the tightening eased.

This time Sherlock seemed to notice something was happening. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Molly smiled at him. "Fine." She wasn't lying, she wasn't in any discomfort now that the contraction had eased.

Sherlock narrowed his eyes suspiciously and was about to say something when Molly put her finger to her lips because a solo was beginning.

Sherlock frowned slightly but turned his attention to the front to watch and listen. During the solo, Molly experienced another contraction, slightly stronger this time but still tolerable. It also went for a few seconds longer. There was only to be one more meditation and the singing of _Silent Night_ after the solo.

Molly was unable to stop herself from wincing slightly when the next contraction hit during Pastor Briggs' final meditation and this time there was no keeping it from Sherlock who had continued to glance over at her. "You're in labour, aren't you?" he hissed, as Molly concentrated on breathing slowly, deeply, to keep the discomfort to a minimum.

She frowned at him but didn't answer until the contraction had finished. Sherlock was frowning back at her, waiting for an answer. "It's fine, Sherlock," she whispered, as Pastor Briggs was calling for everyone to stand for _Silent Night_. "The contractions haven't been going long and the service is nearly over. No need to disrupt it. Please?" She gave him a pleading look.

Kayla overheard, having just put Adam to her shoulder to burp him. "Oh my goodness, you're in labour?" She kept her voice to a whisper as well as people started to rise for the singing of the famous carol.

Molly kept her tone low and reassuring. "Still early stages. It's not too bad at all and the service is almost over."

Kayla gave her a sympathetic look. "Alright then."

"Sing, Daddy," said Victoria to Sherlock who had not yet risen to sing. He seemed undecided on what to do.

Molly gestured for him to do so and he stood reluctantly, keeping a constant surveillance of Molly as he sang.

Another contraction hit during the last verse and once again, Molly felt it a little more strongly. It felt rather like a bad cramping sensation from a heavy period and she bit her lip. Her back was starting to hurt even more as well.

As soon as the benediction had been said, Sherlock set Victoria down between himself and Molly and whipped out his phone. "I'm calling Laura." Laura had been their midwife for Molly's first pregnancy and they had hired her to be Molly's private midwife again as soon as they had found out Molly was pregnant this time. "Then I'm calling your mother to come to the hospital to be with Victoria so I can be in the delivery room with you," he added, as he waited for the midwife to answer the phone.

By the time he had made the calls, people were filtering out of the church, blissfully unaware of what was happening, to Molly's relief. She really didn't want a big crowd of onlookers. The Watsons of course were still seated, effectively blocked by Sherlock being at the end of the pew, but they were not complaining. Instead, Kayla was keeping an eye on her watch as Molly experienced another contraction.

Molly could feel this contraction was stronger and the cramping feeling was getting worse. "Do you want us to come to the hospital too?" asked Kayla, once Molly's contraction had subsided and it was determined to have lasted for 45 seconds.

"No, you have two little ones to take care of. If John could give Mycroft a ring though, that would be good. I expect Sherlock's parents will want to know."

John spoke from his spot further down the pew. "No problem, I can do that."

Sherlock helped Molly get up, gathered up her handbag and the changing bag and hoisted Victoria into his arms as well and they began walking towards the rear of the church.

A few people were still lingering, wishing one another a blessed Christmas and Sherlock brushed past them. "Excuse us, we're in a bit of a hurry."

The church secretary, Nancy Schmidt, who happened to be one of those still lingering, looked at Molly. "I was surprised to see you here this evening. Sherlock looks a little agitated. Are you in labour, dear?

Molly nodded as the secretary said, "I'll be praying that everything goes well for you and I'll start the prayer chain as well."

"Thank you," said Molly, and here were no more interruptions as they made their way out of the church.

"I got a park close by," said Sherlock. "Can you walk or should I bring the car round?"

"I can walk," assured Molly. She was thankful that the hospital was only fifteen minutes away.

Sherlock hurried ahead and Molly followed. By the time she reached the car at her slower pace, Victoria was already in her car seat, changing bag next to her and Molly's handbag as well.

Molly got into the passenger seat. "Thank God the overnight bag is already in the boot of the car," she commented as Sherlock started the engine. He had insisted they put it in the boot after her due date had passed.

"Bet you're glad I said we should do that," Sherlock's tome was rather smug. "I'm glad we do not require a detour back home." He moved the car out into traffic.

"It was a good idea." Molly bit her lip as she felt a popping sensation she recognised from when she had gone into labour with Victoria. Her water had just broken. Thank God she had been wearing a sanitary pad for the past few days just in case of that happening. "Um, just so you know, my water just broke," she told Sherlock who let out a very colourful expletive he didn't usually use. Within a minute she felt another contraction coming on, this time much stronger, the more severe cramping feeling that indicated her cervix was dilating. Things were moving faster than she had expected. She closed her eyes as the contraction wave increased in intensity and started battering at her pain threshold.

"Breathe, baby," came Sherlock's terse voice as the car stopped, probably for a traffic light.

Molly realised she'd reverted to holding her breath during the contraction as she had done when first in labour with Victoria. She forced herself to breathe slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth, trying to ignore the pain as the car began to move once again.

By the time they arrived at the hospital almost half an hour later due to the heavier-than-usual Christmas Eve traffic, Sherlock had made several more colourful curses about the "incompetent fool" drivers around them and had impatiently honked his horn a few times. Molly could definitely tell that Sherlock was stressed when he let the occasional expletive fly. Molly knew he was remembering Mary giving birth in a car and having terrible visions of it happening with her as well. After he slammed his hand against the steering wheel in frustration at a taxi that had cut him off and let out a third swear word, she hand to remind him to tone down the language, that Victoria was in the car with them.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I mean, of all the days to be stuck in traffic. I am definitely not prepared to stop the car like John did so I can deliver our baby. Guess I should have read up on how to do that, just in case." He glanced at her ruefully. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I should have called an ambulance for you."

"It's okay, honey, I'm not having our baby in the car. Besides, we're almost there." Yet another contraction began and she grunted with the pain. She was definitely feeling like she would be ready for the pain relief of an epidural as soon as she was situated in a room.

"I'm going to drop you off in front and go park. The parking garage is much too far away."

On the previous occasion, Mycroft had offered them the services of his limo and the driver had dropped them off at the entrance. _The distance from the parking garage is probably why most people take a taxi to the hospital when in labour,_ Molly thought idly to herself.

He stopped at the entrance and Molly got out, taking the overnight bag with her. She poked her head back into the car to say, "I'll go check in and tell them I want to wait for you to go back with me."

Molly had no sooner entered than she saw her mother who was just inside the entrance.

She walked over to Molly. "I wasn't sure if you were here yet. I suppose Sherlock has gone to park?"

"Yes, Mum." Another contraction hit and Molly rubbed her belly as her mother looked at her in concern.

After it had passed, she asked. "How far apart are your contractions?"

Molly quickly calculated how many contractions had occurred since they had left church. "About every four minutes, I guess, and my water broke in the car too."

Her mother's eyes widened. "Heavens! You need to check in now."

Molly folded her arms across her belly. "Well, I was about to do that when I saw you."

Her mother took her arm and led her to the reception desk and explained that she was in labour.

Laura appeared, having apparently also just arrived. "Molly, let me take you back to a triage room."

Molly hesitated. "I was hoping to wait until Sherlock could be with me."

"He won't miss anything important. I'm just going to ask you some questions and check how your labour is progressing. Your husband can join you as soon as he arrives."

Molly's mum said, "I'll look out for Sherlock and take Victoria from him as soon as he gets here."

"Alright then."

Molly followed Laura to a triage room. The midwife asked questions about the onset of labour, length of contractions and time between them, and when Molly said her water had broken, she conducted an internal examination as well.

She had just finished the examination when there was a knock at the door and a voice spoke from the other side. "Mr. Holmes is here. Can he come in?"

Laura answered. "Yes, he can come in. We're almost done here."

Sherlock entered a moment later and walked over to Molly and took her hand.

Laura spoke to Molly. "The fluid leakage is clear so no bowel movement in the womb which is great. As soon as you deliver her I can give her to you and your husband can cut the cord if he would like to. I remember he did that last time." She raised a questioning eyebrow at Sherlock.

Sherlock nodded. "Of course I will do that again. At least it makes me feel I have some utility in the birth room."

Molly smiled at him. "Of course you have utility just by being there with me, silly."

"Well," continued Laura, "now that that is settled, we need to get you to a birth room immediately. You're almost fully dilated already."

Molly was surprised. "But I haven't been in labour that long," she said, looking up at Sherlock who was also looking rather shocked.

"You mentioned your back had been experiencing pain all day. That was probably the onset of your early labour. By the time you began getting abdominal pains, your labour had progressed and you were in active labour," responded Laura.

Another contraction hit then and Laura coached Molly through it. Molly could feel a pressure building inside, like she needed to push and she explained that to Laura as soon as the contraction had finished.

"I'll be happy to get the epidural. I can't believe how much worse the pain has got in just the last twenty minutes."

Laura looked at her sympathetically. "Molly, we need to get you to a room immediately. You won't have time for an epidural. By the time it would take effect, your baby will already be out. The best we will be able to offer is gas for you to use during your contractions once we get to a room until you begin to push."

Sherlock squeezed Molly's hand. "I'm sorry for your pain, love. I wish I could take it from you," he said as Laura left the room to arrange for a birth room.

While she was gone. Sherlock explained that he had been able to successfully hand Victoria over to Molly's mother and that she had not made a fuss. Molly was glad about that. Victoria was used to being in the care of both Nanny Hooper and Nanny Hudders.

Within ten minutes, Molly and Sherlock were situated in a birth room, Molly in a hospital gown, on a bed with Sherlock standing next to it, holding her hand.

It was time to deliver their baby.

* * *

**Author's note**: Well, of course it had to happen, didn't it?

As I mentioned in the last chapter, here you get to imagine the cover story image when the Holmeses arrive at church for the Christmas Eve service. If you'd like to see the image better and how adorable Victoria is, you can find it on my Tumblr page. I use the same name there.

I have tried to be accurate in describing how things occur once a woman in labour gets to hospital in the UK but there is limited information about it, so please excuse me if the details are not 100% correct. I did my best and spent a couple of hours looking at various resources to find the answers. I have also drawn on personal experience to describe Molly's labour.

So, will Molly's labour take her into Christmas Day or will she deliver on Christmas Eve? Share your opinion and see if you were correct when I publish the next chapter!

Feel free to share your own birth experiences too if you are a mother. I love birth stories!


	3. And Baby Makes Four

Laura handed Molly a mask from which she could breathe the gas during her contractions to ease the pain a little, at least until she had determined it would be time to push. By now, the contractions were as bad as, if not worse than those she had experienced before her epidural when in labour with Victoria.

Molly felt tears come to her eyes and she whimpered. How did women do this without any pain relief? she wondered. "It hurts," she told Sherlock, knowing it was a vast understatement.

Her hand tightened on his but he didn't complain, merely leaned over and kissed her forehead. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart."

Laura checked Molly once again a few minutes later. "Good news - looks like you're fully dilated, Molly. Are you ready to have this baby?"

"Definitely." Oh, yes. She was ready for the pain to be over and to welcome Christina into the world.

Having done this once before, Molly found it easier to do as Laura said, to allow the contractions to dictate when to take a deep breath and begin the pushing process, concentrating with all her might to push through the excruciating pain.

Within ten minutes Laura exclaimed, "Her head is out! Stop pushing and take some short breaths through your mouth."

Molly did as she was told and when Laura indicated for her to begin pushing again she did so, not needing as strong a push to deliver the rest of the baby.

"Oh my God, Molly, she's so beautiful," said Sherlock in awe a few moments later, when Laura presented their wailing baby to Molly, laying her on her chest.

Molly's hands came around her daughter and her eyes blurred with tears as she held her, trying to warm the fragile body. "You'd think this was our first child, Sherlock," she said through her tears.

Sherlock bent over and kissed her forehead as he had done earlier. "Every baby is a miracle, Molly. I'm so incredibly proud of you." She could see the tears in his own eyes.

"I can't believe things went so quickly." Molly glanced over at the clock on the wall. "Gosh, it isn't even ten o'clock!"

"Looks like your baby wanted to arrive before Christmas," commented Laura with a smile. Molly barely noticed as her diminishing contractions helped the placenta to make a successful exit from her body.

Laura handed a pair of surgical scissors to Sherlock. "Here, Dad, you know what to do."

Sherlock took the scissors and cut the cord that had provided the nourishment to their baby for the past nine months. He then placed a hand reverently on the dark dusting of hair that Molly thought looked exactly as Victoria's had, sadly lacking in curliness, not that she was complaining.

"Well, Christina Joy, we are very glad to meet you," Sherlock said and the baby stopped crying and turned her head towards the sound of his voice.

Laura set a towel over the baby and rubbed gently to dry her a little, then left the towel to keep her warm as Molly continued to hold her. It really was surreal. Even though she had experienced Victoria's birth, this was just as wonderful and unique an experience. It was true what people said about forgetting the pain. The result was so worth it that the pain surrounding it was compartmentalised into something small and irrelevant. She gave the midwife a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Laura."

Laura smiled. "You did all the work, Molly. It has been my pleasure. It isn't often I get to enjoy watching a baby I delivered grow a little because I am taking care of another pregnancy with that baby's mother. You did an excellent job, even without the epidural. No tearing either down there this time."

After a few more minutes of cuddling, Sherlock had a chance to hold Christina briefly, after which Laura took her from him to get her measurements.

Laura proclaimed that Christina was 19 and a half inches long and weighed 8 pounds and 3 ounces. She wrapped Christina securely in a blanket and wrote Molly's name on a band she then placed on her tiny wrist. She returned Christina to Molly's arms, and Sherlock handed Laura his phone so she took several photos of the little family.

"May I bring my mother-in-law and daughter in here now?" asked Sherlock after the photos were taken.

"Of course you can," said Laura. "I'll even write a band for Victoria's wrist that says 'big sister' if you like."

"I'm sure she would like that." He gave Molly a quick wave before exiting the room.

Laura handed the baby back to Molly. Christina's little mouth was moving and Molly asked, "Do you think I should try feeding her?"

"Go ahead."

Molly remembered how strange it had felt when she had first tried to breast-feed Victoria. Now, of course, she knew what to do. She slid down the hospital gown and positioned the baby close to her nipple. She winced slightly as instinctively Christina opened her mouth and began to suckle. Molly mused as she had done with Victoria how miraculous it was that babies knew what to do to receive nourishment outside of the womb. It was one of those signs that pointed to the beauty of God's creation in providing that instinct.

Molly looked up as the door opened to the room and Sherlock re-entered with Victoria perched on his hip followed by Molly's mother.

"I'll give you some time to yourselves," said Laura. "I'll be back in about an hour or so and we will get you transferred to a room overnight. All being well we should have you discharged by tomorrow evening. Feel free to take a shower if you like while I'm gone." She indicated the bathroom attached to the birth room. "But first," she took the band on which she had written "big sister" and walked to where Sherlock was standing, slipping the band onto Victoria's wrist. "You're officially a big sister now," she said to Victoria who looked at her wrist wide-eyed.

"Thanks again, Laura," responded Molly as Sherlock and Ruth Hooper stepped over to opposite sides of the bed.

"There's your baby sister who has been in Mummy's tummy." Sherlock bent over so Victoria could take a look at the suckling infant.

Victoria reached out a hand towards her sister. "Baby?"

"Yes, baby." Molly looked with affection at her older daughter. How blessed she felt!

Ruth Hooper bent over to kiss Molly's forehead and then the top of the baby's head. "Congratulations, dearest. That was extraordinarily fast. I was expecting we would be in the waiting room for a couple hours at least."

Sherlock put Victoria down on the bed so she could scramble up beside her mother as Molly responded. "Yes, it was fast. I couldn't even get an epidural this time. My back had been aching pretty badly all day and Laura said that meant I was probably in labour all day without knowing it. I only started feeling the contractions during the Christmas Eve service."

Mrs. Hooper looked surprised. "You went to church this evening? Sherlock didn't tell me that. He just said you were in labour and to get to the hospital as soon as possible."

Molly slipped her free arm around Victoria to hold her close. "I didn't want Victoria to miss the Christmas Eve service. It's such a special evening."

Sherlock spoke. "By the way, I contacted the Watsons and Mycroft. I expect word will soon spread and we will be getting visitors as soon as we bring the baby home. My parents will probably want to come over as soon as we get home, even if it is going to be Christmas Day."

Molly gave a wry smile. "I had a feeling we were going to spoil the family plans for Christmas dinner."

Mrs. Hooper laughed. "Molly, nothing is spoiled. Christina is the best Christmas present you will ever receive. Who needs a fancy Christmas dinner anyway? Exchanging Christmas presents can be postponed a couple of days."

Sherlock gave his mother-in-law a fond smile. "That is pretty much what my mother said to me when she insisted Mycroft hand the phone over to her." He stroked Molly's hair gently. "My three girls." The undisguised adoration on his face made Molly's throat tighten with tears of joy. She was glad they had decided on Joy as a middle name for Christina, taking into account the fact that the baby was due so close to Christmas. Of course she had ended up being born even closer to Christmas than expected. She noticed that Christina was no longer suckling and Sherlock took the baby temporarily so Molly could readjust the hospital gown before returning the baby to her arms.

Sherlock pulled over a chair for his mother-in-law to sit on and then got one for himself. He handed his phone to Molly's mother and went to the other side of the bed to bend close to Molly and get a family photo with the four of them. Then he reciprocated, taking a snap of Ruth Hooper with her daughter and granddaughters.

Victoria, who had reached her hand out several times to stroke her sister's tiny cheek and say "Baby" wonderingly, drifted of to sleep soon afterwards.

Molly decided to have a shower as Laura had suggested so she could put on knickers and a sanitary pad. Last time she had been unable to take a shower due to the epidural making her bottom half numb to the point where she was able to only move her legs with assistance. So this mobility was definitely a plus. In addition, there had been a little discomfort after the epidural wore off due to a couple small tears that had occurred during the birthing process. Molly didn't feel any pain in that area this time. Obviously her body was more accommodating the second time around.

"Sherlock, I'm going to take a shower now. Would you give Christina to my mother for a few minutes?"

Sherlock gently took the baby from Molly and handed the infant over to her grandmother.

Molly got up carefully, removing her arm from where it had been holding Victoria. It had been a long day for their 19 month old.

"Sherlock, can you grab me a pad and knickers from the overnight bag?" she asked. "Just set them inside the door of the bathroom. Oh, and the maternity nightie too."

Sherlock had bought a maternity nightie for Molly before Victoria's birth which made for easier breast-feeding in the hospital. Once she was home she would wear a maternity bra beneath the nightie with breast pads but it wasn't necessary just yet because her milk wouldn't come in for a day or two. For now, the baby would be nourished by the colostrum which preceded the flow of milk.

Sherlock nodded. "Of course, sweetheart."

Following a shower which really helped Molly feel a little cleaner - let's face it, giving birth was a rather messy business, she settled herself in the bed once more and cuddled with Victoria. By this time Sherlock was holding the baby. There would be plenty of cuddle time in the future for her with Christina and she was happy to see him having time with their newborn.

By the time Laura returned to say it a private room was ready for them, Molly was almost asleep herself.

Within the next half hour, the family group had moved to the much less clinical-looking private room. Laura had confirmed that as long as there were no complications, Molly would be able to be discharged later in the afternoon on Christmas Day.

Baby Christina woke shortly after Laura left and began to cry. After instructing Sherlock to get a nappy from the overnight bag, Molly's mum took care of changing the baby and handed her to Molly to be fed. Victoria, who had woken when Sherlock carried her to the room and deposited her on the bed again next to her mother, began to grizzle as well. It was past midnight and Molly was not at all surprised.

"Molly," said her mother, "why don't I take Victoria back to your house with me now so she can get some proper rest?"

Molly, who all of a sudden felt very ill-equipped to deal with both a suckling infant and a crying almost-toddler, agreed immediately. This had already been discussed in advance when Sherlock had insisted he would wish to remain at the hospital with Molly and their new baby.

Molly's mother tried to remove Victoria from the bed where she had been snuggled once again against Molly. The toddler began to cry. She did not wish to cooperate and clung to Molly's nightie. "No, Mama."

Sherlock stepped in, lifting her up and putting her to his eye level. "You have to go home with Nanny now so you can sleep. Nanny can bring you back here tomorrow afternoon and then we will go home together."

Her arms flailed and she cried even more. "No, no!" Molly knew Victoria was over-tired. She wondered too if Victoria was feeling as if she had been replaced by the new baby. Sherlock looked at her uncertainly, unsure of what to do.

"Mum, can you take Christina for a minute?" Molly removed the suckling infant from her breast temporarily, prompting an agitated wail from Christina. She could feel tears coming to her own eyes. There was no pleasing either child apparently.

Her mother took the squalling infant and Molly reached for Victoria. She had to try and reassure her.

Sherlock set Victoria down once again and Molly took up her child and hugged her close, kissing her sweet little face.

"Mummy loves you so much, darling." She stroked Victoria's hair softly, feeling the burn of tears in her throat she tried to ignore. "It's very late and Nanny wants to take you home now so you can sleep properly. I promise she will bring you back tomorrow once you've had a good sleep. Dom't you want to be a good big sister to baby Christina?"

Victoria's voice was muffled, burrowed into Molly's nightie, but audible despite the fact that Christina was still loudly protesting the separation from her new food source. "Yes, Mama."

"Good girl. Daddy can take you downstairs with Nanny and wave goodbye and I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Victoria nodded her head and Molly did the same to indicate Sherlock could take her once again. He picked up the changing bag and put it over his shoulder, then gently took Victoria, adding his own endearments to his daughter while Molly's mum returned the baby to her. The room was suddenly silent as Christina resumed suckling.

"I'll make sure we get here as soon as visiting hours begin at two." Molly's mum bent over the bed and kissed mother and child. Then she followed Sherlock into the corridor.

As soon as Molly was alone with Christina, she allowed her unshed tears to fall. She couldn't help feeling guilty about Victoria. Things were going to be different and she hoped Victoria would not feel neglected and jealous. _Help me deal with this, Lord,_ she prayed silently as she watched her newborn. How was it possible to feel such joy and yet such sadness and fear at the same time?

Gently she touched Christina's tiny face with her thumb. Another little miracle brought safely into the world. So why couldn't she stop crying?

Molly's chest heaved with sobs, even as the baby placidly suckled, undisturbed by the rise and fall of Molly's chest.

Sherlock returned ten minutes later, entering with a bright, "Saw them safely off-" His voice trailed away as he noticed the tears still running down Molly's cheeks.

Immediately he went to the bed and took her hand. "What's wrong, love? Are you in pain?" His eyes drifted down towards the baby who was motionless. She had fallen asleep again at Molly's breast and his eyes widened in alarm. "Oh God, is the baby okay?"

Molly's own eyes widened as she noted her husband's distress. "She's fine, Sherlock. She's just sleeping again. I...I was just feeling overwhelmed, that's all."

Sherlock's expression cleared and he bent down to kiss Molly's cheek. "Ah, I've read about how women can experience the baby blues after birth. I shall have to monitor you over the next few days in case it becomes postnatal depression and requires treatment. Tell me how you are feeling."

So saying, he gently took the baby from Molly so he could hold her and looked expectant.

Molly had to smile at her husband taking charge and acting like a clinical psychologist. His actions were already making her feel a little better, especially because he did not seem overly concerned. So she decided to explain how she was feeling as he had requested.

"Seeing Victoria crying got me upset as well," She bit her lip. "What if I'm a terrible mother to both of our daughters because I can't handle more than one? What if I unintentionally make Victoria feel neglected?"

Sherlock perched himself at the side of the bed and traced Molly's face with his free hand. "Sweetheart, you are already a wonderful mother. From what I have read there is an adjustment period when one baby becomes two, but I will be there with you every step of the way. Until you feel comfortable enough to deal with both of them I will not take on any new cases. How does that sound?"

Molly frowned slightly. "I don't like the idea of taking you away from your work like that. What if it takes me weeks before I feel equipped to handle being alone with both Victoria and Christina?"

"A compromise then. If I am conducting an investigation for a case or otherwise, we will make sure you are not alone. I'm sure your mother or Martha would be happy to accommodate us and stay with you. And don't forget Kayla. If John and I are out on a case, either I can take you and the girls to their place or John can drop Kayla, Rosamund and Adam off at ours. Rosamund and Victoria enjoy spending time together so it will be," here, Sherlock gave her a grin and put on a fake American accent, "super easy, barely an inconvenience."

Molly had to laugh at Sherlock's use of the "super easy, barely an inconvenience" expression. For several months now, since they had discovered the YoTuber who created funny videos that poked fun at film plots and used that phrase in each of his "Pitch Meeting" videos, Sherlock and Molly had adopted the phrase on occasion for fun themselves, just as they used John's term, "A Bit Not Good" to respond to an inappropriate comment. One of Molly's favourite video clips from that YouTuber was where he had ripped season 8 of Game of Thrones to shreds. Now _that_ series had had a disappointing final season. Molly had totally agreed with his assessment of the character assassination and ludicrous plot developments in a series that had, until then, been well-crafted and entertaining if a little risqué at times.

Sherlock was patiently awaiting her response. "That sounds like a good compromise, and I can ask Kayla how she handled the adjustment of dealing with one child to two. She didn't seem to have any issues with it that I could tell."

"Rosamund was already two before her brother was born. So the situation was slightly different. However, I am certain Kayla would be happy to offer you any pearls of wisdom she might have."

"I guess you're right."

"Well, my love, it has been a very long day and I think you need to get some sleep while the baby is sleeping." Sherlock bent forward carefully to kiss Molly.

"You haven't slept either."

"Molly, I used to go for days without sleep when I was involved in a case. Allow me the opportunity to spend a little time with our child before she needs you again." His tone was firm, and suddenly Molly realised she was indeed very sleepy.

"Alright then," she agreed, looking at the clock on the wall. It was past one in the morning. Then she looked at her husband who was walking to a chair with Christina. He looked so comfortable with her in his arms, most unlike the way he had been rather nervous at first around Victoria. Molly wondered briefly whether her mother would have any trouble in getting Victoria to go to sleep. She hoped not.

_It's Christmas! _Molly suddenly thought to herself. When they arrived home from the hospital, they would be able to open the presents under the Christmas tree.

She looked over to Sherlock again, noting the adoring expression on his face as he gazed at their newborn. "Sherlock?"

He looked up. "Yes, love?"

"Merry Christmas, honey."

His smile was soft, tender. "Merry Christmas to you too, sweetheart. Now get some sleep."

"I will." She closed her eyes, allowing fatigue to wash over her and induce her slumber.

* * *

**Author's note:** Yep, Christina made her arrival before midnight - but hey, it is still Christmas as far as I'm concerned. In many other countries, including my native country of Australia, it is already Christmas Day!

I tried to make this chapter as real as possible, drawing on personal experience. Personally, I found it much harder to adjust from one child to two than when I went from two to three. It's a really scary feeling to all of a sudden have to divide your attention between two children!

Did any of you understand the "super easy, barely an inconvenience" reference? Look up "Pitch Meeting" on YouTube. The videos are hysterical! And any other GoT fans out there who were also disappointed by season 8? I do enjoy throwing in a bit of regular conversation from real shows/events to keep my characters as realistic as possible.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. The rectangular box below is asking you to send me a little Christmas present with your review.

Merry Christmas, everybody! Hope it's a good one!


	4. Merry Christmas!

**Author's note:** Apologies for not getting this up sooner. Had some unexpected household issues that needed attention and publishing had to take a back seat.

Anyway, I hope you think the conclusion is worth the wait and also worth your time to leave feedback on the piece as a whole.

* * *

Sherlock glanced from Molly to Christina and back several times until he was satisfied that both had fallen asleep.

He had been totally blown away by the way Molly had coped with the delivery of their child. He could see how much pain she had been in, yet she had not done what all those women in childbirth said to their partners when in labour in all those television shows and films. Molly had not yelled "You did this to me!" or screamed bloody murder the way he still remembered Mary had done. Yes, Molly's grip on his hand had been rather tight and she had groaned with the effort of pushing in a way she had not done with Victoria. This time there had been no epidural to block the pain and Sherlock had seen the tears in Molly's eyes each time she experienced another contraction. He couldn't even imagine the excruciating pain associated with pushing a baby out of her body.

Sherlock looked down at the tiny face of his new daughter and marvelled at it. She was absolutely perfect. Every now and then her tiny mouth moved as if she were still suckling which he found rather fascinating.

As Sherlock watched his daughter, he reflected on the events of the past year. It had certainly been a year of change and transition. Besides the many milestones he had observed with Victoria, there had also been the move from Baker Street to their home in Harringay. Then there had been the purchase of a vehicle which he had never contemplated as a single man. As a man with a family, however, having a car definitely made things easier transportation-wise.

He and Molly had mounted a successful venture in performing a play about the life of Jesus, as a fundraiser for cancer research. It had been a huge undertaking, especially in light of the fact that Molly was pregnant, but the results had certainly made the effort worthwhile.

There had also been a talent night put on by the hospital in order to raise money for the renovation of the Oncology Appliances Room. The date for that happened to coincide with the weekend before Sherlock and Molly's second wedding anniversary. Sherlock and Molly had used the opportunity to remain overnight at the Leonardo Royal Hotel, where the talent night was held, to enjoy a private wedding anniversary celebration, while Molly's mother took Victoria home with her for the evening.

Yes, it had certainly been a busy year and Sherlock expected 2020 would be just as busy, especially with two children. He raised his free hand to touch the silver cross necklace he always wore that Molly had given him to mark the second anniversary of when he became a Christian. When they had been discussing baby names initially, Molly had suggested the name Christian for a boy or Christina for a girl. Sherlock had liked the idea. He was a different man since he had opened his heart first to Molly and then to knowing and accepting Jesus as his Saviour. The names felt appropriate.

Sherlock's reverie was interrupted as Christina's eyes opened and she blinked at him. For the first time Sherlock looked at her eyes. They were a deep, dark blue but seemed to have a hint of brown in them. Sherlock suspected her eyes might change to the coffee colour of Molly's own eyes as time passed. Victoria's eyes were so like his own and the idea of a little Molly "mini-me" was extremely pleasing.

The baby blinked at him. She opened her mouth as if to let out a cry and Sherlock put his finger gently against her lips. "Shh, little one, he said softly. "Go back to sleep so your Mummy can have a little rest." To his surprise and pleasure, the baby's eyes closed again and she returned to sleep. Perhaps she had recognised his voice from when he talked to her while she was still in the womb, he thought.

Sherlock was still observing his daughter in fascination about fifteen minutes later when there was a soft knock at the door and a nurse entered. He recognised the woman as Erika, a nurse he had seen on a couple of occasions during trips to the hospital for scans during Molly's pregnancies.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Holmes!" she exclaimed in her slightly German-accented English, recognising him. "I was going to see if Mrs. Holmes wanted me to take her baby to the nursery for a while so she could rest."

Sherlock smiled. "As you can see, my wife is currently sleeping and I am looking after our baby so that will not be necessary, Erika, but thank you."

Erika smiled back, obviously pleased at his use of her name. "Are you sure you wouldn't like to get some rest as well?"

Sherlock shook his head. "I'm accustomed to long periods of little to no sleep. I am quite enjoying this quiet time with my daughter."

"She's quite the Christmas present isn't she? I'll leave you to it then."

"Indeed she is," responded Sherlock. "Fröhliche Weihnachten, Erika."

Erika beamed. "Fröhliche Weihnachten, Herr Holmes."

She exited the room and Sherlock resumed gazing at his newborn. A Christmas present, the best one ever, he thought.

Another hour passed and the baby stirred again. This time Sherlock was unable to prevent her from letting out a little wail which woke Molly immediately.

Molly sat up and held out her arms for the baby. Sherlock was relieved to see she looked alert and rested even with only a couple hours of sleep.

This time Sherlock returned to the chair and he allowed himself to doze a little.

He woke with a start to discover it was six in the morning. He looked over at Molly to see her eyes were still open and the baby was nestled in the crook of her arm, sleeping once again.

He stood a little stiffly, rolled his head to loosen his neck and walked over to the bed. "Would you like me to take her so you can get some more rest?" he asked, then dropped a soft kiss to Molly's mouth.

"I'm fine, but I'm getting a bit hungry."

Sherlock rummaged around in the overnight bag and pulled out a packet of smoky bacon crisps, his and Molly's favourite. "You can have these until it's time for breakfast," he said, opening the bag for Molly.

He took Christina so Molly could eat the crisps and poured her some water from a jug on the table beside her bed.

A little later, while Molly was again breast-feeding their infant, he took the time to send an email to Pastor Briggs with information about Christina's birth and he also sent off a text to Mrs. Hudson and Greg Lestrade as well as several other colleagues of Molly's and friends from church.

At around ten in the morning, a midwife came into the room to palpate Molly's abdomen and make sure her womb was retracting the way it was supposed to.

"Looks good." she said.

"Do you think I can be discharged already?" Molly questioned. "I'm ready to go home and my other daughter is there as well."

Sherlock was not surprised. Molly had mentioned a couple times that she was missing Victoria and didn't see why she was stuck at the hospital when she already knew what the procedure was following birth.

"If you are sure you are ready to return home, I can arrange to have you discharged," responded the midwife.

"Yes please."

Within an hour, the discharge papers were ready for Molly to sign. Sherlock called her mother to tell her not to worry about coming to the hospital with Victoria, that they were coming home.

He left Molly and Christina at the inside entrance of the hospital and went to get the car, then got them both situated and drove home.

As soon as they entered, the pitter-pattern of little feet rushed to the front door and Victoria wrapped her arms around his legs as Molly's mum hurried to the front as well.

Sherlock lifted Victoria into his arms so she could look again at her baby sister. Victoria reached out a hand to the baby's cheek. Christina's eyes were open and she blinked curiously at Victoria.

"I've made some sandwiches for you," said Molly's mum, beckoning them towards the kitchen.

As soon as lunch was over, Sherlock texted Mycroft to let him know that they were home.

Shortly thereafter, his phone rang. It was his mother.

"Sherlock, I'm sure you don't want a whole lot of people coming over to see the baby, but Daddy and I would like to visit just for a little while, if that is okay?"

"Of course," responded Sherlock. "When did you want to come over?"

Mycroft's cook has already been working hard on the food for today and we would like to bring some for you as well afterwards. We are planning to eat at around five so could be there around six-thirty. We will also bring food for your mother-in-law seeing as she will not be joining us either today."

"Thank you," responded Sherlock. "It is rather a relief to know I will not need to go out and purchase something at the last minute for our dinner."

He informed Molly and her mother of the arrangements for the evening and carried the baby upstairs for Molly, then waited as she got into bed. He handed Christina to her and brought the Moses basket next to the bed. It had been in the corner of the room, awaiting the baby's arrival.

He left the bedroom quietly and closed the door, hoping Molly would be able to get Christina to sleep so that she could have some more rest herself.

Back downstairs, he entertained Victoria and read her a story until she too became sleepy. His mother-in-law was dozing in the armchair by the fireplace. She had told Sherlock that Victoria had not slept well and had spent the morning asking "Where's Mama?" despite being told over and over again that Mama was in hospital with the new baby. Sherlock was glad they had been able to come home earlier than expected.

As he carried Victoria upstairs to her cot he reflected they would need a second baby monitor for Christina at some point.

By the time his parents arrived in the evening, the household was awake once more. Even Sherlock had managed to get in a little more sleep in the other armchair. It was definitely a quiet Christmas Day.

He stood up from the sofa where he had been sitting with Molly. Victoria was on her lap and Christina was being held by Molly's mother. Molly had insisted that Victoria sit on her lap because she knew she would not be able to carry her for a little while.

He opened the door to admit his parents, half expecting to see Mycroft.

Noticing his look past his parents, Violet Holmes said, "The chauffeur brought us and is going to go to a pub nearby until we call him. Mycroft sends his greetings. He decided he should stay behind with the rest of the family."

Sherlock remembered then that Elizabeth's son and wife as well as Mark would have been at Mycroft's home for Christmas dinner. "Of course."

Mrs. Holmes thrust a huge bag at him which presumably contained food to be heated and said, "The food should still be warm enough for you to eat without reheating. where's my new grandbaby?"

Sherlock pursed his lips. "I don't even merit a kiss for Christmas?"

She reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry, dear. Merry Christmas. I've just been so anxious to see your new daughter."

William Holmes said, "I can certainly attest to the fact your mother has been talking of nothing else all day. Merry Christmas, son."

"Merry Christmas," responded Sherlock.

He pointed in the direction of the front room as he prepared to take the food into the kitchen. "Molly, her mum and the girls are in there. Guess I'll get this food onto plates. Thank you."

In the kitchen, Sherlock pulled out insulated containers with turkey and stuffing, Yorkshire pudding and roasted potatoes and vegetables. Sammy had obviously wanted to make sure they were well fed because there was much more than three adults and one 19 month old could manage. There were also mince pies for dessert. No Christmas pudding this time, noted Sherlock. Undoubtedly that was because it was one of his mother's specialties and she wasn't the one preparing the meal this year.

He put on the kettle and set the food on plates, cutting meat and vegetables into small pieces for Victoria. He then took the plates to the dining table.

"Food's ready," he called and watched as his family made their way to the dining table. William Holmes was holding Victoria, and he put her in her high chair. Sherlock's mother of course was holding Christina. "She's so precious!" she said when she reached his side.

Sherlock smirked. "Of course she is. Molly and I make beautiful babies." Molly dimpled at him and he held out her chair so she could sit.

Sherlock's parents sat at the table as well although of course they did not eat. His mother continued to coo over the baby until Sherlock noticed Victoria's frown at her lack of attention from her grandmother, "Mummy," a quick jerk of his head towards Victoria, "someone is not happy about being ignored."

His mother was instantly contrite. She passed the baby over to her husband and went over to Victoria's high chair and kissed the top of her head. "How are you doing, my little angel? Grandma has some Christmas presents for you when you come over to Uncle Mycroft's house."

Victoria's eyes lit up at that. She knew the word presents from Sherlock pointing them out under the tree a couple days earlier. Such a beautiful little girl, Sherlock thought to himself, then suddenly understood what Molly had meant about dividing her attention. He didn't know which daughter to look at, both were so precious, not to mention Molly herself.

Sherlock's parents didn't stay for long after dinner. Arrangements were made to do the gift exchange at Mycroft's on Saturday instead and his mother called the driver to say they were ready to be taken back to Mycroft's. Sherlock was pleased that his mother also took charge of changing two dirty nappies. That was a task he was very happy to relinquish as often as possible, particularly as he would probably be the one to take care of it for a few days at least until Molly was properly recovered.

Molly's mother also made her departure soon afterwards, leaving Sherlock and Molly alone with their two girls.

"What do you think, love?" Sherlock looked at Molly. "Should we open the presents under the tree so Victoria can have a nice Christmas?"

The baby was sleeping in her bouncer that Sherlock had brought down from the spare room and Victoria was in her play pen hitting the musical notes on the xylophone Sherlock had bought for her several months earlier which she loved. He was rather amazed that the baby could sleep through the racket.

"Sounds like a good idea to me." Molly rested her head briefly against his shoulder.

"Oh, wait, there's something I forgot." He tugged Molly up from the sofa and pulled her to the doorway of the room.

Molly frowned slightly. "What did you forget?"

He smiled and pointed to the mistletoe he had placed in the doorway secretly the day before and had not had an opportunity to take advantage of. "Merry Christmas, my love." He bent his head to give her the first proper kiss they had exchanged in more than a day. He wrapped his arms around Molly, enjoying the fact that her belly had diminished greatly in size so he could pull her closer.

Molly put her arms around his neck and kissed him back with ardour. Eventually their lips parted and Sherlock sighed a little. It was going to be a long month being unable to enjoy his usual intimacy with Molly. Oh well, at least they could still cuddle at night.

"Right then," said Sherlock, taking Molly's hand and kissing it before ushering her back to the sofa. "I'll get the presents out from under the tree. Let's do ours first and then we can help Victoria open her presents and those for her sister."

First he took the small gift he had wrapped himself for Molly; they had promised one another to only buy one gift. Fortunately, there was no price limit mentioned and he had spent several hundred pounds. It was a small price to pay for the woman who had just endured so much pain in order to give birth to Christina.

He picked up his own gift from Molly, beautifully wrapped as usual, sat beside her and set hers on her lap.

"You go first," she told him and Sherlock opened his present. He was delighted to find his favourite eat de toilette spray, Eau de Monsieur, by Annick Goutal. It was by no means a cheap gift either. He knew the cost of the cologne was around £100 and he had been wondering whether he should switch to a cheaper scent, thinking the cost a little frivolously high. But it was a different story to receive it as a gift.

"It's not much," Molly apologised, "but I did notice your bottle was almost empty and I do enjoy it when you wear that scent."

He smiled at her. "Thank you, sweetheart. It's a very thoughtful gift and and I appreciate it." He gestured at the present on her lap. "Go ahead."

Molly unwrapped her gift and opened the square box to reveal a gold tennis bracelet. She gasped. "Oh, Sherlock, this is lovely! But tennis bracelets are so expensive."

Sherlock frowned at her. "This isn't about the money, Molly. I wanted to buy something special for my beautiful wife to show how much I appreciate her and the fact that she has not only given me so much love but two beautiful daughters as well."

Molly blushed, whether from embarrassment at his censure or his compliment, he wasn't sure. "I'm sorry, honey. I just wasn't expecting something like this. Thank you." She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He wasn't satisfied with that so raised his hand to her face and turned it towards him for a lingering kiss instead. It was so like Molly though to be careful with money. If she hadn't been the type of woman to save as much as possible over the years, they would not have been able to afford this house. Yes, they would have to be more careful with money in future as well with a mortgage to pay and Molly no longer working full-time, but he estimated they were more financially stable than most London residents.

"Would you put the bracelet on my wrist?" asked Molly once their lips parted.

"Of course." He slipped the bracelet around,her wrist and fastened the clasp.

Molly lifted her arm and waved it around like a little child. "It's so sparkly," she enthused and Sherlock grinned. He loved seeing his wife so happy.

"I'm going to bring over the presents for Victoria and Christina now," he said, returning to the Christmas tree and bringing over the pile of presents. Molly had wrapped them in different wrapping papers so that he knew which presents were for each daughter.

Then he lifted Victoria out of her playpen. She protested initially, having still been happily making "music" on the xylophone, but she quickly settled down when Sherlock set her on her mother's lap and added a present for them to open together. Of course Molly ended up doing most of the unwrapping, but Victoria seemed to enjoy herself and her eyes widened at the array of new toys, puzzles and books for her to enjoy. Sherlock in the meantime pulled out his phone so he could take a video and photos.

By the time Sherlock cleared away the wrapping paper, Christina had awoken from her nap and had begun to grizzle. Sherlock picked her up from the bouncer and carried her over to Molly. Victoria had scrambled off of her mother's lap to play with her new toys.

Molly pulled up her jumper and unfastened her bra, then took the baby and settled her to her breast for yet another feeding while Sherlock placed a cushion beneath her arm for support. He had forgotten just how frequently newborns needed to feed.

"Why don't I have Victoria help me open Christina's presents?" he suggested and Molly nodded.

"Victoria, do you want to help Daddy open your sister's Christmas presents?" he asked, bending down to meet his older daughter's eyes.

Victoria shook her head, "No, Daddy." She was obviously too engrossed in the new toys.

Sherlock shrugged and set about opening the presents himself. Most were baby clothes but there were some baby toys as well. Then he took some video again. This was definitely a Christmas he wanted to keep a permanent record of, and he was used to whipping out his phone these days to take photos, most of them candid ones. Occasionally, he would allow Molly to take a photo with him in it, or they would snap a selfie, but Sherlock much preferred being behind the camera.

Sherlock took a picture of Molly and Christina and she frowned at him. "You had better keep that one private. I don't particularly care for the world to see my breast on display."

"You really can't see anything, Molly. Christina's head is in the way."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Even so, promise me you aren't going to post that one on Facebook. I don't mind you putting up some of the other ones though."

This time it was Sherlock's turn to roll his eyes. "Give me _some _credit, love. I promise to post only Molly-approved photos. You will also need to choose one for me to send to John to put on his blog. There have been a few comments on the blog lately from people asking when they are going to see pictures of the new Holmes baby."

"People are so sweet. I love that they are interested in more than just your cases but you as a person too."

Sherlock's lips quirked. "Well, at least a few. I'm sure the majority of people are only interested in my detective persona and reading John's blog, rather than me as a person. That's one of the things that stood out to me with you, the way you never just saw me as a detective. You always saw the man and wanted o know me, the real me."

Molly looked thoughtful. "I guess that's a good way to determine whether a person is really a friend or not. You have a certain amount of fame, but can you imagine how it must be for famous people like actors and other really big celebrities? It must be so difficult to separate who is only friendly with you for the reflected glory, and who truly cares about you."

"To be honest, I would prefer complete anonymity, but as that is not possible, at least I can use my position to show my Christian faith publicly. Perhaps it will draw others to Christ."

He began to gather up the wrapping paper. Once it had been cleared away and new presents for Christina were stacked neatly to Molly's satisfaction, Sherlock resumed sitting beside his wife and took out his phone once more.

"Come here, Victoria," he called to his daughter. "Daddy wants to take a photo of us as a family." By this time Christina had finished feeding and Molly was holding her in her arms.

Victoria, who loved getting her picture taken, stood and clambered onto Sherlock's lap.

Sherlock set the camera into selfie mode and stretched out his arms on either side of Victoria, making sure the four of them were in the frame. "Say cheese," he said. And as Molly and Victoria complied, Sherlock took several memorable photos, then put his phone away.

This certainly was a Christmas to remember, even as the two before it had been. Sherlock had never felt more content. He slid an arm around his wife and held Victoria close to him with the other, even as he looked at the newest addition to his family. _Thank you for my family,_ he prayed silently.

Christmas Day was almost over but there were still celebrations to be had in a few days time and after that, a new year to look forward to.

What would 2020 bring? Only time would tell.

* * *

**Author's note:** I was quite amazed at how quickly new mothers can be discharged from the hospital in England, as little as six hours, from what I read! I felt that Molly would be impatient to get home, seeing as she missed Victoria.

There are some significant differences between England and America that I discovered when researching childbirth for this story. Even though I did write a story for Victoria's birth, I did more research for this one.

In England, you need to pack everything you need for the baby and yourself - pads, nappies/diapers, snacks. Those things are provided for you in America (at least I assume that is the case throughout the country.) However, the cost for those things is added to your bill and depending on insurance, it will cost different amounts to have a baby. In England, it doesn't cost anything to have a baby, so it is understandable that you need to bring along your own items.

If you are from a different country, I'd love to know how things are done there - do you incur any costs in having a baby or is it free?

By the way, Sherlock's eau di toilette spray is the one favoured by Benedict Cumberbatch. I thought, why not? Wish I could smell it for myself.

Did you like Sherlock's gift for Molly?

So for now we say goodbye to Sherlock and Molly. I cannot say whether I will be doing much in the way of 2020 continuing story for them. I have several WIP's that take place at varying times in the timeline already, both past and distant future. Do you want to keep seeing glimpses into their future that correspond with "real time"? If enough people are invested in my characters I will really try to at least take a peek into their life every now and then next year with a short story here or there. I am also contemplating a 20 years post-Sherrinford short story - anyone interested in seeing the Holmes family so far into the future?

Wishing you all a peaceful, safe and happy new year!


End file.
